Meet Jennifer Parker | Salon owner and stylist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jennifer Parker and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jennifer, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I’m a salon owner and the thought process behind opening my particular salon is being able to choose what kinds of products and hair color I work with. In my case, it’s more niche as I choose to use organic based, non toxic color, keratin treatments, and haircare. I’ve been using these types of products since 2006 and never looked back. It’s wonderful being able to provide an alternative for people with allergies, sensitivities, or just simply want to avoid using harsh chemicals on their hair and body.

What should our readers know about your business?
My salon is called JP Organic Hair. Aside from using organic based non toxic hair color, keratin treatments, and hair products, my space feels like an eclectic, cozy home away from home. The most common feedback I get is that clients feel comfortable, enjoy the music that’s played (I play a lot of rare 70s and 80s music), and that I’m transparent about what can be achieved with their hair and budget. I’m probably a bit unconventional compared to the average hairstylist. For example, I will custom make take home hair color kits for clients so they can space out their appointments to work with budget and/or time constraints.

As far as how I got where I am, it’s definitely been challenging, rewarding, and always evolving. When I moved to Colorado in 2017, I started over completely. Before moving here I lived in New York City for 12 years. The back story is in 2006 I started working at John Masters Organics where I was first introduced to the concept of organic hair color. I worked there until 2011, until John Masters decided to close the salon and retire. From there, two of my co-workers and I opened up our own organic salon as business partners, called Soho Organics. It was a sweet little boutique, organic salon that we ran together from 2011-2016. As 2016 came to an end, I knew I wanted a fresh start and decided to move out to Denver in 2017. The first few years were challenging given I had to build a clientele from scratch and work towards having my own salon again. I even went back and forth from Denver to New York to continue servicing clients there while I built my business here. Interestingly enough, the pandemic is what really helped propel my organic salon business. Given I wasn’t traveling much in 2020, It forced me to put all my energy into growing my business in the Denver area and lead me to opening up my current salon space in 2021. Now after working solo for years and growing the business, I’m bringing in other stylists who are interested in alternative color services.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
My favorite part of Denver is the Baker neighborhood and I generally end up at the Hornet for a bite and Sputnik for some drinks. Maybe Punch Bowl Social for some bowling or games.

I love hitting up Antiques etc. on Colfax if i want to find some cool vintage pieces ( a little bit of everything here).

Of course there’s the charming town of Estes Park and The Stanley Hotel. Hiking at Rocky Mountain National park is always a winner.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Back in 2006 when I was living in New York City, I started working at a salon called John Masters Organics. That’s how I was introduced to the concept of organic color and learned there was an alternative to traditional hair color and chemical services. The salon space was beautiful, eclectic, and the clientele felt like my kind of people. I definitely give John Masters a lot of credit for introducing this concept years before there was a green movement and I was grateful for being a part of it.

Website: https://jenparkerorganichair.com/

Instagram: @jporganichair

Facebook: JP Organic Hair

Other: Booking app for appointments: https://app.rosysalonsoftware.com/customer/directory/index.htm?id=39785

Image Credits
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